The present invention generally relates to a unique container for receiving and storing contaminated lancets and/or biosensors within the container and for having a biocidal interior surface. These devices are referred to as “biotesting devices”. More specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention concerns a unique biocidal container that can be sized to fit within a medical device, such as a bioassay device, or the container can be part of a body fluid lancing and testing care kit. Moreover, a plurality of used biosensors and a plurality of unused biosensors can be stored in the same unique container.
Persons who analyze their bodily fluid, such as blood or interstitial fluid, for any number of characteristics, such as blood glucose levels for diabetics, must dispose of the used lancing devices, such as lancets, and used testing devices, such as biosensors. Disposal devices have been developed to store used lancets and/or used biosensors after the lancets or biosensors have been exposed to bodily fluid. The contaminated lancets and contaminated biosensors contained by a disposal device promote an environment in which bacteria can flourish. Typically, a liquid containing biocides is added to the disposal device to cover the lancets and biosensors therein. This liquid containing biocides produces biocidal activity within the disposal device to diminish and/or eliminate bacterial growth. One issue often associated with adding liquid containing biocides to a disposal device is that the user must pour the liquid into the disposal device without spilling the liquid outside the disposal device, while maintaining the contaminated lancets and biosensors within the disposal device. Another issue often associated with adding liquid containing biocides to a disposal device is that additional time and effort of the medical practitioner is required to add the liquid to the disposal device in order to safely dispose of the contaminated lancets and/or biosensors.
Patients who test their own blood glucose levels often encounter the situation in which they must safely dispose of their used lancet and used biosensor in a hygienic way. In a public setting, these patients often cannot find a disposal device in which used lancets and used biosensors will be disposed in a sanitary manner. Often these patients must carry their used lancets and/or biosensors with them until the patient can dispose of them in a sanitary manner. Typically, in a private setting, such as a home of a patient, a patient must expend time and energy to find the proper disposal device in their home in which the used lancets and used biosensors can be sanitarily disposed and contained within. Patients faced with these obstacles typically skip testing their blood glucose levels at the required time interval thereby risking an increased likelihood of an inappropriate blood glucose level, or they dispose of the devices in an inappropriate manner.
Another potential difficulty with a lancet disposal device and a biosensor disposal device is that often these devices are separate. For example, a lancet disposal device typically holds used lancets and a biosensor disposal device typically holds used biosensors. One problem associated with lancet disposal devices is the lancet disposal device typically is not configured to receive and contain used biosensors. Similarly, one problem associated with biosensor disposal devices is the biosensor disposal device typically is not configured to receive and contain used lancets. Moreover, these separate devices are additional to the lancing and testing devices already required by the user. These additional devices detract from the discretion that many diabetics prefer, and the person must spend time and energy searching for the separate devices.
Another obstacle often associated with a lancet and a biosensor is the safe disposal of the lancet and biosensor upon use of the lancet or biosensor. For example, the user or medical practitioner using the lancet would not want to accidentally prick another person or themselves with a contaminated lancet, thereby potentially exposing this person or themselves to disease. The user or medical practitioner using the biosensor would not want to accidentally touch another person or themselves with a contaminated biosensor, thereby potentially exposing this person or themselves to disease.
Thus, there remains the need for further improvement in this field.